Machine for wrapping cigarette packets or similar articles



8 w. MoLlNs Aug. 28, 1934.

MACHINE FOR WRAPPING CIGARETTE PACKETS OR SIMILAR ARTICLES Filed May 3l.1932 3 Sheets-Sheet l lllllllllllllllllllll W. E. MOLINS Aug. 28, 1934.

MACHINE FOR WRAPPING CIGARETTE PACKETS OR SIMILAR ARTICLES Filed May 3l.1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 W. E. MOLINS Aug. 28, 1934.

MACHINE FOR WRAPPING CIGARETTE PACKETS OR SIMILAR ARTICLES ssheets-sheet s Filed May 3l. 1932 l l l WNN T'OR M@ wmwmww Patented Ang.28, 1934 UNITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE Walter Everett Molins, Deptford,London, England Application May 31, 1932, serial No. 614,497 In GreatBritain June 1, 1931 5 Claims.

This invention relates to a new and improved machine for wrappingcigarette packets or similar articles in envelopes which are air-tightand may, if desired, be rendered moisture-proof, the envelopes beingindependent of the packet and readily detachable therefrom.

The invention consists of a machine for wrapping cigarette packets inair-tight envelopes of the kind described, comprising means for foldinga rectangular sheet or blank around the packet to form a block endedenvelope, and means for applying a sealing uid to the wrapper at anyconvenient stage of the operations in such a manner that each wholly orpartly exposed fold of the finished envelope is secured when the saidfiuid dries to the wrapper surface or surfaces in contact therewith toform an envelope which is airtight and independent of the packet andreadily detachable therefrom.

Two ways of carrying the invention into effect will be described withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a fragment of o Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view of a blank showing one stage of the operations.

Figs. 4a, 5, 6, 7 and 8 show further consecutive stages in the foldingoperations.

Fig. 9 shows a similar View to Fig. 2 taken Y slightly in advance ofthat figure, partly in section, of an alternative construction.

Fig. 10 is a plan of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is another view of a blank.

Figs. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 show another series of consecutiveoperations in the folding of the blank.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 8, a sheet or blank 1 of thin transparent paperor similar material is severed from a web 1a and passes down through aslot in the bed 2 of the machine into the path of the oncoming packetswhich are fed from a pile in the magazine 3 by pusher pieces .4 carriedon a chain conveyor 5.

The gum or other adhesive may be partly or entirely applied to the blankbefore the same is cut from the web, and in the example shown in Fig. 1it is applied by a gumming roller 6 having ridges corresponding to thevarious patches of gum to be applied, and receiving a supply of gum froma roller 7 rotating in a gum bath 8. The gum is, in the present case,applied in two streaks lb as shown in Fig. 4, which extend from a pointclose to one end of the blank to a point situated beyond the mid-lengthof the sheet by a distance of about half the packet thickness.

The blank is carried by the moving packet through folding mechanism 9 ofthe usual type except that the folders for performing this opera. tionare hollowed out on their working faces so that they only contact withthe .paper on sharp edges which do not pick up any appreciable quantityof gum.

It will be observed that as the wrapper strikes the edges of the folders9 the streak of gum which extends across the base of the packet willcontact with them, and in order to minimize the effect of this, thecorners of the folders which the packet first strikes are preferablyformed by rollers 9a mounted in the body of the folder and tangentialtherewith. As the packets pass, the rollers rotate, and any gum theypick up may be removed by Scrapers.

As the blank is carried by the packet which is moved along by the pusherpiece, it is first formed into a U shape as shown in Figure 4a afterwhich the portions of the wrapper overlapping the width of the packet atthe leading end are folded down on to the sides of the packet to formnarrow tucks 10 at the block end thereof as in Figure 5.

The side portions 11 of the wrapper which extend beyond the width of thepacket and which carry the gum for sealing the side folds are thenfolded up on to the packet as in Figure 6, after which the correspondingportions 12 which are ungummed are folded down.

The open end of the U shaped envelope is then folded by rst making thenarrow side tucks 13, and in the example shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 ofthe drawings, mechanism such as that described in my prior Patent No.1,517,307 is used for this purpose with certain additional parts, aboutto be described.

Referring to Figs. 7 and 8, it will be observed that the corners of thebroad naps at the open end of the packet are entirely covered withpatches of gum 14, and in order to apply these patches of gum, thetucking pawls 15, which are carried by the wheels 16 and serve to makethe narrow tucks 13, have gum applied to them. The gum is applied by thelarge gum wheel 17 rotating in a gum bath 18 and arranged so that thelower face of the pawl 15 contacts therewith, and a. small gum wheel 19which is operated by a cam 20 xed to spindle 20El to move periodicallyinto contact with the gum wheel 17, applies gum to the upper face of thepawl 15, the wheel 19 being in the position shown between the two wheels17 and 19.

As the tuckers 15 fold in the narrow tucks 13, they transfer gum to thepaper and after the gum has been applied, the packet is moved beneaththe stacker 21 and is moved Aupwards into the interior of the stacker bya table 22 which is reciprocated by the cam 23. Immediately before thepacket moves upwards, the lower broad hap-24, Fig. 7, is folded upwardsagainst the end of the packet and gum is simultaneously applied to thisiiap as shown at 24 Figure 8 by a roller 25 which moves periodicallyinto engagementwith the roller 25 rotating in a gum bath 27.

The upward movement of the packet causes the remaining broad flap 26 tobe folded down by the edge of the stacker, and owing tothe manner inwhich the gum has been applied, the packet will be found to be tightlysealed and air-tight.

Referring to Figs. 9 to l'l, in this case,the

`blank 1 in addition to having side streaks of gum 1b applied by theroller 6, has other patches 1c applied by cross ribs incorporated withthe roller 6.

The sheet is carried through folding mechanism of the same kind as inthe previous case, but further mechanism is necessary owing to thepresence of the patches of gum 1c on the outside of the wrapper when thepartly finished wrapper in the condition shown in Figs. 13 and 14 passesthrough the folders which bend down the flaps 12.

Referring to Figs. 9 and 10, the folders for performing this operationare indicated by 28 and are pivoted at 29 to bearings xed to the frameof the machine. Cams 30 mounted on shaft 20a and springs 31 operate thefolders so that they move about their pivots. Wire guides 32 retain thegummed flaps 11 in position during this movement.

As the packets enter between the folders the latter are in the positionshown in Fig. 10, but as the rear edge of the packet approaches, thefolders open to avoid picking up gum from the streaks 1.

The tuckers 15 in this case are hollowed out so that their working facesare in the form of two sharp edges, one at the top and one at the bottomso that they only contact with the paper on the edges and thus do notpick up any quantity of gum.

'I'he broad flaps at the open end of the packet are folded over andgummed, or if desired, a streak of gum for sealing the packet may beapplied to the blank shown in Fig. 11 simultaneously with the other gumstreaks.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a wrappermade of paper, it will be apparent that moisture-proof material such asregenerated cellulose which may carry on its surface a coating solublein a suitable solvent. In one commercial form this material comprises acellulose base and a coating having among its ingredients anitrocellulose and a wax, the coating being soluble in various organicsolvents such as acetone or ethylene glycol monomethyl ether.

When the wrapper is made of paper and is to be waterproof as well asair-tight, wax is applied to the major portion of that side of the blankwhich is free of adhesive; those portions of the surface which are toadhere to the other side of the blank being left unwaxed. This wax-1,971,ses

in dotted lines in Fig. 2 when the pawl passesv -ing operation lispreferably carried out by run- 'ning the web of wrapping material overan engraved roller which receives wax from a melted bath of the same andtransfers a suitable wax pattern to the web.

What I claim ,as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentis:-

1. In a machine for wrapping an article in an air-tight block endedwrapper, the combination with a continuous conveyor for feeding articlesin a predetermined path, of means for applying a plurality of lines ofsealing fluid to a continuous web. `of wrapping material, feedingelements to feed the web transversely of the path of said conveyor,cutting elements to sever wrapper lengths from the web, folding elementsarranged to fold the wrapper intoja U about the article, rotatablefolding elements operable to form the end folds at the block end of thewrapper, folding elements operable to form the long side folds of thewrapper, rotary folding elements operable to fold inwardly the narrowend folds at the end of the wrapper oppositev the block end, and sealinguid applying elements operable to apply sealing fluid to the upper andlower faces of said rotary folding elements.

2. In a machine for wrapping an article in an air-tight block endedwrapper, lthe combination with a continuous conveyor for feedingarticles in a predetermined path, of means for applying a plurality oflines of sealing fluid to a continuous web of wrapping material, feedingelements to feed the web transversely of the path of said conveyor,cutting elements to sever Wrapper lengths from the web, folding elementsarranged to fold the wrapper into a U about the article, rotatablefolding elements operable to form the end folds at the block end of thewrapper, folding elements operable to form the long side folds of thewrapper, rotary folding elements operable to fold inwardly the narrowend folds at the end of the wrapper opposite the block end, sealingfluid applying elements operable to apply sealing fluid to the upper andlower faces of said rotary folding elements, a folding element operableto fold upwardly the lowermost end flap of the wrapper, a sealing fluidapplying element operable to apply sealing uid to said upwardly foldedend flap, and a further folding element'operable to fold downwardly theremaining end flap of the wrapper.

3. In a machine for wrapping an article in an air-tight block endedwrapper, the combination with a continuous conveyor for feeding articlesin apredetermined path, of means for applying a plurality of lines ofsealing fluid to a continuous web of wrapping material, feeding elementsto feed the web transversely of the path of said conveyor, cuttingelements to sever wrapper lengths from the web, folding elementsarranged to fold the wrapper into a U about the article, rotatablefolding elements operable to form the end folds at the block end of thewrapper, folding elements operable to fold upwardly the outwardlyextending side portions of the lower limb of the U, spring retainingelements arranged to retain said upwardly folded portions in position,movable folding elements operable to fold downwardly the outwardlyextending side portions of the uppermost limb of the U, said secondnamed folding elements being movable out of engagement with the rearmostportion of the said last folded portion, and rotary folding elementsoperable to fold inwardly the narrow end folds at the end of the wrapperopposite the block end,

said last named folding elements having their operative faces separatedby recesses, the recesses being formed to avoid the sealing fluid lineson the ena folds so formed.

4. In a machine for Wrapping an article in an air-tight block endedwrapper, the combination with a continuous conveyor for feeding articlesin a predetermined path, of means for applying a plurality of lines ofsealing uid to a continuous web of wrapping material, feeding elementsto feed the web transversely of the path of said conveyor, cuttingelements to sever wrapper lengths from the web, folding elementsarranged to fold the wrapper into a U about the article, rotatablefolding elements operable to form the end folds at the block end of theWrapper, folding elements operable to fold upwardly the outwardlyextending side portions of the lower limb of the U, spring retainingelements arranged to retain said upwardly folded portions in position,movable folding elements operable to fold downwardly the outwardlyextending side portions of the uppermost limb of the U, said secondnamed folding elements being supported for movement out of engagementwith the rearmost portion of the said last folded portion, rotaryfolding elements operable to fold inwardly the narrow end folds at theend of the wrapper opposite the block end, said last named foldingelements having their operative faces separated by recesses, therecesses being formed to avoid the sealing uid lines on the end folds soformed, a folding element operable to fold upwardly the lowermost endflap of the wrapper, a sealing fluid applying element arranged to applysealing fluid to said upwardly folded end flap, and a further foldingelement operable to fold downwardly the remaining end flap of thewrapper.

5. In a machine for wrapping an article in an air tight block endedwrapper, the combination with means for applying a wrapper to an articlewith one end of the wrapper open and extending beyond the article, ofmeans for forming side tucks and end flaps in the open end of thewrapper, said means comprising a continuous conveyor for moving saidarticle through a predetermined path with the open end of the wrappertrailing, rotatable elements disposed adjacent the path of movement ofthe article and supported for movement into said path to engage with theopen end of the wrapper at opposite sides of the article, said elementsbeing provided with surfaces engaging the inner faces of the end flapsthus formed on the remaining sides of the wrapper, and means forsupplying adhesive to such surfaces.

WALTER EVERETI MOLINS.

